The present invention relates broadly to motion upholstery furniture designed to support a user's body in an essentially seated disposition. Motion upholstery furniture includes recliners, incliners, sofas, love seats, sectionals, theater seating, traditional chairs, and chairs with a moveable seat portion, such furniture pieces being referred to herein generally as “seating units.” More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved mechanism developed to extend an ottoman and footrest and provide reclining functionality.
Reclining seating units exist that allow a user to forwardly extend a footrest or ottoman and to recline a backrest and seat. These existing seating units typically provide three basic positions (e.g., a standard, nonreclined closed position; an extended position; and a reclined position). In the closed position, the seat resides in a generally horizontal orientation and the backrest is disposed substantially upright. Additionally, if the seating unit includes an ottoman attached with a mechanical arrangement, the mechanical arrangement is collapsed such that the ottoman is not extended. In the extended position, the ottoman is extended forward of the seat. In the reclined position the backrest, and possibly the seat, might be tilted rearwardly from the extended or standard position.